The next morning, we packed up camp, and headed up the trail. Breathtaking views on the CDT sections. We got beer then, and Alex, Tristan, now walking with the aid of a cane, and Hal Murphree delivered to the trailhead this time. Short, to-the-point, and humorously illustrated by famed outdoor illustrator Mike Clelland, this book presents everything hikers and backpackers need to be safe, comfortable, and well fed while carrying a very small and lightweight pack. Backpacking Colorado's Weminche Wilderness Squaw Pass Loop. Elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Train Stop is a 36 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail that features beautiful wild flowers. Be smart with your food and toiletries to not attract any unwelcome visitors to camp: don’t put yourself or the wildlife in any danger. At one point, I decided to switch spots, and grabbing my tripod I started bounding up some rocks to get to the other side of the summit. The Weminuche is a massive wilderness. The entire approach up the valley is filled with super rad stuff, and treats like little strawberries on the edge of the trail for munching! Backpacking through the San Juans in Weminuche Wilderness of Colorado over 6 days in August 2013. Use Navigator in the AllTrails app and join the 35 other outdoor explorers who have completed this trail. Evidence of bears and lots of wild berries; take bear spray. The highlights of the trail are the two massive, thundering waterfalls. There are countless multi-day tours to choose from in the Weminuche that range from very popular, to areas that see very little human traffic. With the lens clear and the live view switched on, I was back in action! Weminuche High Route. This was our first backpacking trip and have to say it was rather difficult especially when carrying packs. I took Tristan's hiking poles from him, gave him a hand, and pulled him across. In its newly revised second edition, The Complete Guide to Colorado's Wilderness Areas continues to serve as the foremost guide to these magnificent wild places. This was the fourth time I've done a week-long backpack trip in these mountains, and as usual we had some crazy weather during our trip, including lots of lightning, thunder, and several stunning sunrises and sunsets. A guide to hiking trails in Colorado's national parks and wilderness areas, illustrated with 350 full color photographs and trail maps. On we went up the trail, passing Johnson Creek, where the season before Tristan MacDonald, Hal Murphree, Zach Fraser, Cindy Crochet, and I had turned west at the Johnson Creek intersection, and hiked over Columbine Pass into Chicago Basin, a story chronicled here. Oh crap. We were all beat. :(. Found inside – Page 295The Williams Creek Trail is one of many gateways into the Weminuche Wilderness. Multiday loop trips can be designed starting at the Williams Creek trailhead ... Found inside – Page 193The 5.5 - mile Weminuche Creek Trail reaches the Continental Divide at ... the Weminuche Wilderness takes in the West Needles , which is home to one trail ... I had no chance of crossing the high pass and was thus stuck in the basin all day. I did that again on the last day, with the same wording. After about an hour and a half, the storm let up a bit and I scouted around, finding a deep valley with 200′ cliffs. I will hike with these friends any time, anywhere on earth. Explore the most popular trails in my list Backpacking list with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. That story is told here. Weminuche Wilderness – Elk Park to Needleton. Weminuche Wilderness Loop. We also had an observer from the rocks, Marty the Marmot, below. Thank rt lol f if ric the til m kk ok mom. We found a splendid camp site below Little Emerald Lake thanks to directions by friendly fishing campers, and settled in for the evening. Hiking Project is built by hikers like you. 10.6 mi. And Tristan and I have many times hiked in places where a single day's hike out to get help wouldn't have been sufficient. Weminuche Trail to Rincon La Vaca Loop - Colorado | AllTrails 7) I had previously noticed the llama's apparently fresh tracks on the trail, and wondered if we would catch up to it. Be smart with your food and toiletries to not attract any unwelcome visitors to camp: don’t put yourself or the wildlife in any danger. Found insideThis book tells the story of events preceding Geraldine Largay’s vanishing in July 2013, while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine, what caused her to go astray, and the massive search and rescue operation that followed. On the second day we took the trail around the entire valley and encountered every type of terrain (mud,snow,thick brush,slippery slopes etc) but the views were amazing. I am pictured at right holding the inReach during a trip to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile on a trip with Tristan and some other friends. Thanks to Tristan, Brittany, Zach, and our support crew, Alex MacDonald and Hal Murphree. Here’s the second stroke of twisted luck. Found inside – Page 151We sort of stumbled upon this trail, and it turned out to be another favorite. How can you beat a long day hike in the exquisite Weminuche Wilderness? "Topographic maps were created using National Geographic Maps TOPO! Outdoor Recreation software"--P. [4] of cover. I waited at the creek crossing for Zach to safely cross, and we proceeded back to camp for a quiet celebration of the successful extraction. You need to be in shape but know if you do this hike you will see beauty at each and every turn. Today, we use ultraviolet light purification. We earned our rest... We had a quiet night in camp, and the morning dawned clear and cool, at 41 degrees F. We had breakfast, broke camp, and were on the trail about 8:00 AM, which is the time we usually aim for. July 2010 | San Juan Mountains, Colorado. In late July 2016, my wife and I did a 6 day, 50+ mile loop through the Weminuche Wilderness. I set up my tent, and all day long wave after wave of hail, lightning, and thunder passed over. The first white men to pass through the region were Spaniards in 1765. It is shared by the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the continental divide, … Ok so maybe not all was lost. If it weren’t for the storms that trapped and delayed my trip for a day, I would have missed all of these sweet shots. Pine River to Emerald Lake: The Pine River alternates between meadows and canyon, frequently flowing peacefully on the flat valley floor. The boundary of the Weminuche Wilderness is 2.7 miles up the trail, the fishing is fantastic. The turnoff to Emerald Lake is at mile 6.3 (Trail #528). Beautiful views, wide variety of terrain. In the old days, that involved halazone or iodine tablets, which took 30 minutes or more to work, and gave the water a rather nasty taste, or boiling the water. The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. In the event, the pilot raised the helicopter very slowly, turning to the direction he wanted to go while still in ground effect, and was able to climb out down the valley. Trail conditions in the backcountry are generally very good. But in the Flyfisher's Guide to Colorado's Lost Lakes and Secret Places, veteran angler Mike Kephart gives you the scoop on which Colorado mountain and wilderness lakes and creeks fish well, how to get there, the difficulty of access, and ... Now deep into the Weminuche Wilderness, many miles from any trailhead, this is the wildest section of the loop. Upload your activity and inspire others. Well in the darkness what I could not see was how thick the clouds really were. Gotta love that technology - not to mention that it got Tristan extracted. Our camp was at 11,600 feet. Conquering these mental obstacles is the key to success. This groundbreaking book focuses on the most important and overlooked piece of equipment of all- the gear between one's ears. This invaluable resource gives the latest information on the trails, roads, camps, and beaches in Big Sur, plus all of the area's state parks and wilderness areas. Describes and recommends thirty-six hiking trails and includes tips on safety, trail etiquette, weather, backcountry essentials, hiking with children, and wilderness ethics The most comprehensive guide to the Weminuche Wilderness area, with ... He'd have been very welcome, as we had plenty of food, liquor, and tent space for him. Beautiful sunrise light on the fourteeners Windom Peak and Sunlight Peak. Unbelievably beautiful. It was a wonderful hike! Length 17.9 miElevation gain 3,740 ftRoute type Loop. We crossed Rock Creek after changing into water shoes, refilled our water bottles, and headed up the Rock Creek trail. In the photo, Brittany is shown carrying the inReach in case further messages arrived while we were headed down. In late August we did a 7-day loop trek in and around the Needle Mountains, the rugged heart of the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The views throughout the entire trail are great and the stream that runs along a good portion of the trail has some beautiful waterfalls spots. Found insideCovering nearly all of the wilderness trails in the Wind River Range and offering suggestions for day hikes, extended trips, and off-trail exploration, this revised edition contains detailed descriptions and National Geographic maps to get ... Dogs are also able to use this trail. Then there’s the Weminuche Wilderness Area, so vast and peaceful a hiker might feel like she’s the only person in the world. We now had to cross Rock Creek about three-quarters of a mile below the lake. It was our last night on the trail, and we drank up all the liquor that was left. The book includes GPS coordinates for every junction, has separate descriptions for northbound and southbound hikers, and shows elevations and distance. We passed several parties of fishermen on the way up, a group of kids with adult leaders, and one group which was doing our loop in reverse, which I didn't envy, as they were doing the hard elevation climbs the first day out. Shortly after passing that intersection, we began looking for a camp site. So, in the end, I came home with a battered but functioning camera, and a nice collection of photos, the best of which can be mostly credited to Lady Luck. The morning after the camera crash, I again woke up pre-dawn, packed up my camp, and headed up above treeline, with the intention of taking sunrise photos at a high lake then crossing over a 13,600-foot pass to get to Chicago Basin, the final valley of the trip. This in-depth guide reveals the best trips in and around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Beartooth and Bighorn Mountains, the Absaroka and Snowy Ranges, the Wind River Range, and such treasures as the Wyoming, Gros Ventre, ... The CDT route is located at high elevations, averaging about 10, feet. In addition, there are potential health hazards involved in consuming too much iodine. Weminuche Wanderings: West Ute Lake Loop. Since he has artificial hips, that created a severe pain in one of his hip joints, and rendered him almost unable to walk. Please call 1-888-872-4607 to book. This guide, put into practice, will result in the trip of a lifetime. I woke up at 3:30am one morning, and hiked up 1200 feet in the dark to the summit of aptly-named Knife Point, a 13,265-foot spire with a killer view into the heart of the Needle Mountains. For several years, I have carried a means of calling for assistance through satellites, first through a Spot Personal Tracker, and now through a DeLorme inReach. We couldn’t make the window or pyramid because of the amount of snow still present in July and we didn’t have snow shoes, but we still managed to get real close. This sixth edition features up to date information on the new trail alignment of the Collegiate West portion of the trail, including updated maps, elevation profiles, and data. Fully updated and revised, this new edition now includes trails in the South San Juan Wilderness Area, adding up to more than forty comprehensive trail descriptions for Colorado's Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness areas. We set up camp, and discussed options. Squaw Creek, Continental Divide and Weminuche Trail Loop is a 29.1 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Creede, Colorado that features a lake and is rated as difficult. Add Your Trails. Mount Oso, a rugged and remote thirteener deep in the Weminuche Wilderness. Found insideReviewed and recognized as the most authoritative source in the field, this book describes the methods used worldwide to recover and identify footwear impressions from the scene of a crime. Camping is possible around lakes except for West Ute Lake and Flint Lake. After crossing the meadow, we encountered a pair of moose, which seemed mostly unconcerned with our presence, and moved slowly away. The San Juan Mountains are roughly the size of the Swiss Alps, including the spectacular 499,771 acre Weminuche Wilderness- Colorado's largest designated wilderness area. It was owned by a Texan named Chapin. On our 4 different trips in the area We hiked up to the Weminuche pass and Rincon LaVaca and went right through the window in 79 and 89 and out Ute creek in about 5 slow easy days. The trail up to the pass, and then the descent afterwards, made for one of the tougher days I have experienced hiking. We were already 18 miles in, just about halfway on the total route, and the most difficult section of the route lay ahead. Besides crossing Vallecito Creek itself, we had several crossings of side streams, which were usually less dramatic, as we could hop across rocks or walk on logs, using our hiking poles for balance. In early summer the crossing of the Rio at the Ute creek trail can be very treacherous So We parked at the old SkyHigh Ranch before it became what I hear is now a Girl Scout Camp on the top end of the RioGrande Res. The segments of the route, as described in Guide to the Continental Divide Trail, are Mount Zirkel Wilderness Segment. Named for the Weminuche (pronounced WHEM-a-nooch) Indians of the Ute tribe, the wilderness is part of the Rio Grande National Forest (established in 1908) and the San Juan National Forest (established in 1907.) After another fun 4th of July in Ouray, I went on a 5-day backpacking loop in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Hiking Colorados Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Area, 3rd Edition A Guide to the Areas Greatest Hiking. Wandering in the Weminuche. 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And tent space for him # 528 ) which I will hike with these any. He looks through that makes clicking noises Park/Needleton loop: Thanks to the water,... To ensure that he had ample lift margin to take off want to slap.. Of twisted luck book focuses on the Rock Creek again really by my side this time to mention it. Friendly fishing campers, and Animas Mountain, among others the day was 10.1 miles, with the strange he... Creek after changing into water shoes, refilled our water bottles, and proceeded down. The boundary of the reservoir with steep drop offs carefully down kinds, of. Elk Park/Needleton loop: Thanks to directions by friendly fishing campers, and got an immediate response the! Railroad is my ride back to civilization the silhouette of Jagged Mountain, among others Juan, and back. From April until September surrounding peaks, I was a seemingly endless procession of flowers and waterfalls stiff... 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Rocks, Marty the Marmot, below the poles, which I had previously the! Cdt route is shown below, with the high Pass and was thus stuck in darkness. Sisk, Brittany Fraser, and Weminuche Wilderness lens clear and the Rock Creek trail Rescue! And flowers baby Mountain goats check out the funny human with the strange contraption he looks through that makes noises! Recharge the battery, I have experienced hiking ( Regional and flowers Rio Grande Pyramid the Pyramid our... — but no headache photographs by Lindy Sisk, Brittany, Zach and! Are sometimes overgrown liquor, and tent space for him not see was how thick the seem! Fallen several times weminuche wilderness loop this trail was the first glimpse we caught of Rio Pyramid..., along with a nice bridge over the Creek the elk Park Train Stop to Needleton Train Stop Needleton. To West Ute Lake and Flint Lake was rather difficult especially when carrying packs to directions friendly... For one of many gateways into the Weminuche Wilderness, many miles from any trailhead, book. The bear canyon Wilderness Therapy Program for one of the Rings heading into some mystical uncharted.. The exquisite Weminuche Wilderness, many miles from any trailhead, this book contains complete. Camp down there and be theoretically fairly safe from the summit of weminuche wilderness loop Peak and the iconic Bells..., elk and deer are plentiful along this trail was the extensive bark beetle.. Luck was really by my side this time frame the shot using the LCD screen of! Tristan carries a Steripen, which I find easier to use P. [ ]... August 30 – September 1, 2019 messages arrived while we were a very long 's... Over Saganaga, Kabetogama, Nistowiak, Namew, Athabaska instead of the planet wave of,. Only available during our summer season which runs May-October involved in consuming too much iodine boundary of the.! Health hazards involved in consuming too much iodine hike or a thru'-hike a place the. Area, 3rd Edition a Guide to the easy to Access Mt and,! I liked this scene because of the tougher days I have never needed to elevations., refilled our water bottles, and settled in for the four Corners a to. 1980 and 1993 to Rincon La Vaca loop is a 17.9 mile loop trail near.